News

Original article published by News 12. NORTH BELLMORE – Congregants of a North Bellmore church may lose their place of worship. St. Matthias Ministries is facing a lawsuit from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, stating that they own the property and the congregants are just squatters. According to Rev. Lawton Bryant, St. Matthias was…

Original article published by Newsday. Written by: Patrick Whittle Newsday The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is in a court battle to evict congregants of the historically black St. Matthias Ministries church and sell the property in Wantagh. Congregants of the church contend such a sale would sacrifice a century-old piece of the Island’s…

Original article published by ABC Local. Written by: Kristin Thorne Eye Witness News WANTAGH (WABC) — Shirley Jackson-Hardy has been going to Saint Matthias Church in Wantagh since she was 6. That was 80 years ago. “Me and my grandmother used to sit over there in those pews,” she said. “Everybody in this community…

Original article published by VirtueOnline. Written by: Patrick Whittle Newsday The Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is trying to evict the congregants at St. Matthias Ministries church in Wantagh. St. Matthias was a mission of the diocese from 1904 until 2009, when diocese declared the church closed. The congregants have split from the Episcopal church…

Over 100 years ago, the land under St. Matthias was given to the congregants of the Church, comprised of Native Americans and African Americans and also known as the “People of Brush.” This 1.19-acre parcel is currently located at 2856 North Jerusalem Avenue in Wantagh, NY. A trust was set up for the parishioner since…